Engineering and Applied Sciences

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Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach

Received: 03 March 2019    Accepted: 02 July 2019    Published: 22 July 2019
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Abstract

Soil contamination with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) as a result of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities is currently a major environmental challenge. This study proposed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy as a viable technique for rapid assessment of hydrocarbon contamination on oil spill sites in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Spectroscopy approach was carried out in the laboratory for the prediction of TPH concentrations (mg kg-1) in genuine petroleum contaminated soils (fresh wet), as compared with analytically measured TPH concentrations. Very strong positive correlation (r = 0.9686) was achieved between analytically and spectroscopically-predicted TPH (mg kg-1). Actual and predicted absorbance (ABSact and ABSpred, respectively) values were determined and appear not to be consistent. However, very strong positive correlation appears when each of parameter was plotted against measured TPH concentration. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy methodology was found to be as good as the labour-intensive and expensive traditional laboratory analysis of soil PHCs and could be an alternative for laboratory methods and as a viable field-screening tool to enhance risk decision making on-site.

DOI 10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13
Published in Engineering and Applied Sciences (Volume 4, Issue 3, June 2019)
Page(s) 66-73
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Infrared Spectroscopy, Analytical Technique, Petroleum Hydrocarbon, Soil Pollution, Niger Delta

References
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[2] Ambituuni, A., Amezaga, J., Emeseh, E., 2014. Analysis of safety and environmental regulations for downstream petroleum industry operations in Nigeria: Problems and prospects. Environ. Dev. 9, 43–60. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2013.12.002.
[3] Nwilo, P. C., Badejo, O. T., 2006. Impacts and management of oil spill pollution along the Nigerian coastal areas. Adm. Mar. Spaces Int. Issues 119.
[4] Ite, A. E., Ibok, U. J., Ite, M. U., Petters, S. W., 2013. Petroleum Exploration and Production: Past and Present Environmental Issues in the Nigeria’s Niger Delta. Am. J. Environ. Prot. 1, 78–90.
[5] Davies, O., and Abolude, D. (2016). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (pahs) of surface water from Oburun Lake, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Appl. Sci. Res. 13, 20-24.
[6] Nganje, T. N., Hursthouse, A. S., Edet, A., Stirling, D., and Adamu, C. I. (2015). Hydrochemistry of surface and groundwater in the shale bedrock, Cross River Basin and Niger Delta region, Nigeria. Appl. Water Sci. 7, 961-985.
[7] United Nations Environment Program, (2011). Environmental Assessment of Ogoniland. UNEP, Switzerland.
[8] Luiselli, L., Amori, G., Akani, G. C., and Eniang, E. A. (2015). Ecological diversity, community structure and conservation of Niger Delta mammals. Biodivers. Conserv. 24: 2809-2830.
[9] Douglas, R. K., Nawar, S., Alamar, M. C., Mouazen, A. M., Coulon, F., 2018a. Rapid prediction of total petroleum hydrocarbons concentration in contaminated soil using vis-NIR spectroscopy and regression techniques. Sci. Total Environ., 616-617, 147–155.
[10] Okparanma, R. N., Mouazen, A. M., 2013. Combined effects of oil concentration, clay and moisture contents on diffuse reflectance spectra of diesel-contaminated soils’’, Water, Air and Soil Pollut. 224 (5), 1539-1556.
[11] Douglas, R. K., Nawar, S., Alamar, M. C., Coulon, F., Mouazen, A. M., 2017. Almost 25 years of chromatographic and spectroscopic analytical method development for petroleum hydrocarbons analysis in soil and sediment: state-of-the-art, progress and trends. Crit. Rev Environ Sci Technol., 47 (16), 1497–1527.
[12] Schwartz, G., Ben-Dor, E., and Eshel, G., 2012. Quantitative analysis of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soils: comparison between reflectance spectroscopy and solvent extraction by 3 certified laboratories. Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2012, 1–11
[13] United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)., 1978. Test Methods for Evaluating Total Recoverable Petroleum Hydrocarbons, Method 418.1 (Spectrophotometric, Infrared), Government Printing Office, Washington, DC, USA.
[14] Douglas, R. K., Nawar, S., Alamar, M. C., Mouazen, A. M., Coulon, F., 2018a. Rapid prediction of total petroleum hydrocarbons concentration in contaminated soil using vis-NIR spectroscopy and regression techniques. Sci. Total Environ. 616-617, 147–155.
[15] Douglas, R. K., Nawar, S., Alamar, M. C., Mouazen, A. M., Coulon, F., 2019. The application of a handheld mid-infrared spectrometry for rapid measurement of oil contamination in agricultural sites. Sci. Total Environ. 665 (2019) 253-261.
[16] Rinnan, A., Van Den Berg, F., Engelsen, S. B., 2009. Review of the most common pre-processing techniques for near-infrared spectra. TrAC Trends Anal. Chem. 28, 1201-1222.
[17] Risdon, G. C., Pollard, S. J. T., Brassington, K. J., McEwan, J. N., Paton, G. I., Semple, K. T., and Coulon, F., 2008. Development of an analytical procedure for weathered hydrocarbon contaminated soils within a UK risk-based framework. Anal. Chem. 80, 7090–7096.
[18] Okparanma, R. N., Coulon, F., Mouazen, A. M., 2014. Analysis of petroleum-contaminated soils by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and sequential ultra sonic solvent extraction-gas chromatography. Environmental Pollut. 184, 298-305.
[19] Wartini, Ng., Brendan, P. M. & Budiman, M., 2017. Rapid assessment of petroleum-contaminated soils with infrared spectroscopy. Geoderma, 289, 150–160.
[20] Webster, G. T., Soriano-Disla, J. M., Kirk, J., Janik, L. J., Forrester, S. T., McLaughlin, M. J., Stewart, R. J., 2016. Rapid prediction of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soil using a hand-held mid-infrared field instrument. Talanta 160, 410–416.
[21] Chakraborty, S., Weindorf, D. C., Li, B., Aldabaa, A. A. A., Gosh, R. K., Paul, S., Ali, M. N., 2015. Development of a hybrid proximal sensing method for rapid identification of petroleum contaminated soils. Science of the Total Environment. 514, 399-408.
[22] Osborne, B. G., Fearn, T., Hindle, P. H., 2007. Practical NIR Spectroscopy with Applications in Food and Beverage Analysis, second ed. Longman Group UK Limited, England.
[23] Mullins, O. C., Mitra-Kirtley, S., Zhu, Y., 1992. The electronic absorption edge of petroleum. Appl. Spectrosc. 46, 1405–1411.
[24] Okparanma, R. N., Mouazen, A. M., 2013. Combined effects of oil concentration, clay and moisture contents on diffuse reflectance spectra of diesel-contaminated soils’’, Water, Air and Soil Pollut. 224 (5), 1539-1556.
[25] Forrester, S., Janik, L., McLaughlin, M., 2010. An infrared spectroscopic test for total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contamination in soils, Proceedings of the 19th World Congress of Soil Science, Soil Solutions for a Changing World, Brisbane, Australia, August 1–6, 13–16.
[26] Schwartz, G., Ben-Dor, E., and Eshel, G., 2012. Quantitative analysis of total petroleum hydrocarbons in soils: comparison between reflectance spectroscopy and solvent extraction by 3 certified laboratories. Appl. Environ. Soil Sci., 2012, 1–11.
Author Information
  • School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK; National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Garki, Abuja, Nigeria

  • School of Aerospace, Transport and Manufacturing, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK

  • Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Nigeria

Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Douglas Reward Kokah, Aziaka Duabari Silas, Osaribie Nelson Akeme-Esuotei. (2019). Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach. Engineering and Applied Sciences, 4(3), 66-73. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13

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    ACS Style

    Douglas Reward Kokah; Aziaka Duabari Silas; Osaribie Nelson Akeme-Esuotei. Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach. Eng. Appl. Sci. 2019, 4(3), 66-73. doi: 10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13

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    AMA Style

    Douglas Reward Kokah, Aziaka Duabari Silas, Osaribie Nelson Akeme-Esuotei. Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach. Eng Appl Sci. 2019;4(3):66-73. doi: 10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13

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  • @article{10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13,
      author = {Douglas Reward Kokah and Aziaka Duabari Silas and Osaribie Nelson Akeme-Esuotei},
      title = {Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach},
      journal = {Engineering and Applied Sciences},
      volume = {4},
      number = {3},
      pages = {66-73},
      doi = {10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13},
      eprint = {https://download.sciencepg.com/pdf/10.11648.j.eas.20190403.13},
      abstract = {Soil contamination with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) as a result of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities is currently a major environmental challenge. This study proposed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy as a viable technique for rapid assessment of hydrocarbon contamination on oil spill sites in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Spectroscopy approach was carried out in the laboratory for the prediction of TPH concentrations (mg kg-1) in genuine petroleum contaminated soils (fresh wet), as compared with analytically measured TPH concentrations. Very strong positive correlation (r = 0.9686) was achieved between analytically and spectroscopically-predicted TPH (mg kg-1). Actual and predicted absorbance (ABSact and ABSpred, respectively) values were determined and appear not to be consistent. However, very strong positive correlation appears when each of parameter was plotted against measured TPH concentration. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy methodology was found to be as good as the labour-intensive and expensive traditional laboratory analysis of soil PHCs and could be an alternative for laboratory methods and as a viable field-screening tool to enhance risk decision making on-site.},
     year = {2019}
    }
    

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    T1  - Rapid Assessment of Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Soils: Spectroscopy Approach
    AU  - Douglas Reward Kokah
    AU  - Aziaka Duabari Silas
    AU  - Osaribie Nelson Akeme-Esuotei
    Y1  - 2019/07/22
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    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13
    DO  - 10.11648/j.eas.20190403.13
    T2  - Engineering and Applied Sciences
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    AB  - Soil contamination with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) as a result of crude oil exploration and exploitation activities is currently a major environmental challenge. This study proposed diffuse reflectance spectroscopy as a viable technique for rapid assessment of hydrocarbon contamination on oil spill sites in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Spectroscopy approach was carried out in the laboratory for the prediction of TPH concentrations (mg kg-1) in genuine petroleum contaminated soils (fresh wet), as compared with analytically measured TPH concentrations. Very strong positive correlation (r = 0.9686) was achieved between analytically and spectroscopically-predicted TPH (mg kg-1). Actual and predicted absorbance (ABSact and ABSpred, respectively) values were determined and appear not to be consistent. However, very strong positive correlation appears when each of parameter was plotted against measured TPH concentration. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy methodology was found to be as good as the labour-intensive and expensive traditional laboratory analysis of soil PHCs and could be an alternative for laboratory methods and as a viable field-screening tool to enhance risk decision making on-site.
    VL  - 4
    IS  - 3
    ER  - 

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